Save the world in style

Five gadgets that allow you to show off your love for Mother Earth – in style

Five gadgets that allow you to show off your love for Mother Earth – in style

Global warming can be quite a pain. And it’s all our fault – we know that, you know that, your next-door neighbour with the flashy new gas-guzzling SUV hasn’t got the memo yet but when the next natural disaster strikes, he’s going down. That’s just karma.

So how do you keep your nature karma score high without seeming like too much of a wuss? Easy. Just order one of these nifty, eco-friendly gadgets online. If your girlfriend gets on your case about spending yet more money, just smile and say “Honey, I’m saving the world.”

Brought out by one of the best brands around, you can’t go wrong with these little solar-powered portable chargers. We highly recommend the Freeloader Classic – after eight hours of sunlight, it can power up a smartphone for 44 hours or your iPad for two hours. If you’re in a hurry and can’t wait for the Freeloader to soak up the sun’s natural juice, you have the option of plugging it into your PC, and in just three hours it’ll be completely charged.

Greensmart

Anyone who says you have to compromise on style when choosing green hasn’t ever heard of Greensmart. Forget those frumpy hemp sleeves and take a look at Greensmart’s colourful range of laptop bags and sleeves, backpacks and messenger bags that are made from…wait for it…recycled plastic bottles. Yes, you’ll be paying a bit more, but in the long run, it will be worth it.

This green device looks swish. The ‘natural speaker’ is made from bamboo and you have to slot your iPhone 4/4S in the middle, where the natural resonance of the bamboo helps amplify the sound produced by your phone’s built-in speaker. Okay, it’s not exactly advanced technology, but it is 100 per cent eco-friendly and adds an earthy touch to your staid décor.

The KudoCase is not entirely green as it needs electricity to work, but the company claims that’s only because the energy demands of the iPad are too great to be powered exclusively by light. Once your iPad is in the case, plug it into your wall socket to charge and once done, you’ll get eight-ten days of power supply for your iPad. If you have a Kindle, check out SolarFocus’ covers that offer at least three months of battery life without a power socket. Geeks to the rescue.

More than 15 billion batteries are discarded every year. It’s hard to get your head around figures like that, which is why we think USBCell deserves a pat on their collective back. Unlike traditional rechargeable batteries that come with a not-so-handy external charger, these USB-rechargeable batteries are truly portable. You can recharge the batteries anywhere, anytime using a in-built USB port. Just stick them into your laptop and in a few hours, they can be used again.